Mission: Impact podcast & blog
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In episode 96 of Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton and Dr Victoria Boyd discuss
07:34 - Common Misconceptions about Starting Nonprofits what to focus on instead 16:22- The Logic Model as the heart beat of the organization 25:29- **Defining your Unique Value Proposition 27:39 Building shared leadership intentionally Guest Bio:
Dr. Victoria Boyd Author, Trainer, Consultant, and founder of The Philantrepreneur Foundation. Host of the Nonprofit Corner Podcast. Important Links and Resources: The Philantrepreneur Foundation - https://drvictoriaboyd.com/foundation/ Nonprofit Corner Podcast: https://nonprofitcorner.org/home Related Episodes: Episode 17: Program Evaluation with Wendy Wolfe Click "Read More" for a transcript of the interview In episode 95 of Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton and Emily Taylor discuss
[11:15] Recognizing Organizational Dependence how nonprofits become overly dependent on a charismatic CEO and how this can stifle organizational growth and sustainability. [20:56] Strategic Reflection Before Planning nonprofits should engage in reflective practices to understand their true challenges before embarking on strategic planning. [23:03] Gaining Objective Insights the benefit of having an outsider's perspective to identify common goals and values among staff that may be clouded by internal bias or jargon. [33:02] The Human Aspect of Leadership leaders must view themselves as humans with limitations, which can foster a healthier organizational culture and enable growth beyond the capabilities of a single individual. Guest Bio:
Emily Taylor works with nonprofit leaders who are ready to catapult their organizations into their next stage of growth by shifting their decision-making from intuitive to intentional. Leaders who seek Emily’s expertise are not only frustrated with the typical strategic planning process but don’t feel fully informed to make big, long-term decisions. Instead, she first grounds the organization in ‘who they are’ to help them prioritize the challenges that lie ahead. To achieve this, Emily applies her individualized strategic listening methodology with an organization's community, allowing teams to 'see their value' and align their decision-making as an organization, not just the CEO. She helps them find a planning process that fits their needs, not something that is out of the box, which is why most organizations get frustrated with strategic planning! Important Links and Resources: Emily Taylor: Paper on pre-strategic planning: Related Episodes: Episode 21: Investing in the next generation of nonprofit leaders with Andy Robinson Episode 60: Why bother doing strategic planning? Episode 70 Values Based nonprofit strategic planning Episode 90 Five steps to successful nonprofit strategic planning with Carol Hamilton Click "Read More" for a transcript of the interview As a nonprofit executive director or leader, you know what you believe to be true about your organization. What its strengths and challenges are, its areas for growth and assets to build on. But what about others involved in your organization, like board members, staff and community members? Does your assessment align? When you are part of the organization’s leadership, your take on how things are going may be quite different from line staff and others further away from decision-making circles. It can also be challenging to get candid feedback from those below you in the organizational structure. One way to learn where you are on the same page and where the gaps are is to complete a nonprofit organization assessment. What is a nonprofit organization assessment?A nonprofit organizational assessment is a third party assessment of your organization, gathering feedback from all your key stakeholders. The goal of the process is to get an accurate assessment of a nonprofit organization's current state. Any organizational assessment will be a snapshot in time synthesizing the feedback of stakeholders. With the final report in hand, you will be able to make better informed decisions about what your key next steps are for your organization. Why should my nonprofit conduct an org assessment?Gathering candid 360 feedback on your nonprofit organization Making the time to engage in a comprehensive nonprofit organizational assessment with a stakeholder analysis gives you the opportunity to get feedback from all your stakeholders and get a 360 perspective on your organization. Working with a consultant to conduct the assessment will ensure that you get more candid feedback. Stakeholders will be more likely to share perspectives with someone outside the organization more directly and frankly. A comprehensive nonprofit organizational assessment provides a rigorous process for getting those views out in the open. Conducting one in-house may mean that you only learn what people think you want to hear. Good practice among high performing nonprofits Conducting a thorough organizational assessment with a focus on stakeholder analysis is a vital practice that sheds light on the multifaceted perceptions of those who interact with your organization at various levels. This is one of the reasons it is considered good practice among high performing organizations. Eight key focus areas of a nonprofit organizational assessmentEight key areas of focus for an overall organizational assessment are your organizational culture, perceptions of your organization’s strengths and areas for strengthening and growth, the workings of your board of directors, staff and volunteer experience and engagement, how decisions are made, as well as stakeholders’ aspirations for the future. Based on conversations with your organizational leadership, there may be additional areas of inquiry that are pertinent at the particular time of the assessment. Mapping your ecosystem: Stakeholder analysisThe initial step to conducting an organizational assessment is to map out your organization’s stakeholders. Who has a stake in your organization’s future? Who are the people and/or groups of people who care about your organization and its mission? These likely include staff and your board of directors at a minimum. Also included are volunteers, those you serve or support, donors, funders, other organizations that you partner with, other related organizations that provide complementary programs to yours, government agencies, policy makers, the community you are situated within and others. Mapping out the ecosystem of people and organizations engaged with your nonprofit provides you with a picture of the network of stakeholders who can help you succeed in pursuing your purpose. In this process, you may also identify individuals and groups who are not yet connected with your organization that could be helpful in achieving your mission. Methods for conducting an organizational assessmentEngaging stakeholders to gather input could happen in a variety of ways. These include 1-1 interviews, focus groups and surveys. The exact combination of approaches will depend on the focus of the assessment as well as the scope of the organization. Stakeholder Interviews Having a consultant conduct 1-1 interviews as part of the organizational assessment provides stakeholders with a confidential and safer space to share their perspectives. Interviews may vary in focus and length depending on the stakeholders. Stakeholder Focus Groups When a consultant facilitates focus groups for your organization, you can hear from a larger group of people that represent a segment of your stakeholders. Those participating in the focus group will learn about their counterparts’ perspectives and conversation may be generated during the focus group as people participating build on each other’s ideas. Participants may be more reticent to share their opinions in a group setting than 1-1. Both interviews and focus groups provide the opportunity to follow up with additional clarifying questions as well as questions to dig deeper to gain more insight into the person/groups’ viewpoint. Thus, both these methods enable you to gain further insights into the lived experience of those participating. Stakeholder Surveys Having a consultant design and conduct a survey for your organization, you can gather information from an even larger group of people. The survey can also be designed to gather input from a variety of stakeholders as the survey can be designed in a way to have certain questions only be answered by individuals who fit certain criteria. Surveys provide you with the opportunity to gather comparative and quantitative data. Drawbacks to surveys include possible lower response rates and the limited capacity to gather input in the respondent’s own words. Including too many open-ended questions in a survey will make it less likely that respondents answer or fully complete the survey. The length and complexity of the survey can also impact the response rate. In addition, it is not possible to follow up in the survey itself for clarification or elaboration as it is in an interview or focus group. Thus combining a survey with interviews and focus groups provides the opportunity to go deeper. Wider Community Engagement As part of the organizational assessment, you may choose to take a wider look at the community you are situated in and conduct a community assessment as well. Again, a stakeholder analysis, design of the inquiry, choice of methods (interviews, focus groups, surveys) would all be steps in the process. Moving from insight to action: How a nonprofit organizational assessment can help kick start your nonprofit’s next strategic plan. Once an organizational assessment is complete, the consultant will share the synthesis of the input that has been gathered in a set of findings. Typically, this will happen as one or a series of facilitated sessions. This could include a cascade sharing the findings with leadership and then staff, board, and other stakeholders. Once the findings have been shared, the group will need to make meaning of it. You heard “what” in terms of the themes coming out of the feedback – and often – a set of recommendations from the consultant. What meaning do you make of this? What surprises you? What confirms what you were already thinking? What are the implications of these findings for your organization? What next steps or actions do you need to take based on the assessment? A nonprofit organizational assessment is the first step in a strategic planning process, so in deciding what your next steps are you may decide you are well positioned to engage in strategic planning for your next 3-5 years. Related posts: Strategic planning process for nonprofits: 5 steps to a plan that supports your vision Bringing issues out in the open Often people are surprised by the level of commonality and agreement within the findings. Though they may not yet have shared these thoughts and attitudes out loud with colleagues, they learn that others are thinking similar things to them. The assessment provides context and opportunity to get those views out in the open and on the table. It creates space to have conversations and discuss issues that may not emerge in the day to day running of your organization. When there are challenging issues to confront, having a consultant conduct the assessment and facilitate the dialogue about the findings provides a safer psychological space to have the hard conversation that needs to happen to make progress. Closing the loop with all stakeholders Stakeholders engaged in the process of gathering data all need to hear something back about the process. You will likely share different levels of detail from the findings with different stakeholder groups. But it is critical to close the loop with anyone you involve in the process. One of the benefits of engaging stakeholders in an assessment is that it can strengthen the relationship with your organization. Yet if those stakeholders do not hear anything back about the results, it can actually have a detrimental impact on the relationship. Let them know highlights of what you heard and even more importantly what you plan to do based on the feedback. The benefits and outcomes of a nonprofit organizational assessmentThe insights garnered from confidential interviews, dynamic focus groups, and comprehensive surveys, especially when guided by an external consultant, can unveil truths that may not surface in everyday internal communications. With candid feedback, facilitated by a consultant's neutral stance, nonprofits can navigate the delicate intricacies of internal and external expectations. It's a process that fosters a culture of transparency, encourages inclusive dialogue, and strengthens the collective resolve to advance the mission.
With the findings in hand, the real work begins—interpreting the 'what' to discern the 'so what' for your organization. This critical evaluation leads to the 'now what,' where the synthesis of feedback and recommendations propels informed decision-making. It's a moment for collective reflection, and a chance to align your nonprofit's trajectory with the genuine needs and aspirations of your stakeholders. As the assessment culminates and you translate the feedback into actionable insights, you tap into the collective wisdom and engagement of your stakeholders with every person linked to the nonprofit's vision. This isn't just about closing the feedback loop; it's about opening a gateway to continuous improvement and impactful change. In episode 94 of Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton and Rebecca Epstein discuss the article that Rebecca wrote with Mistinguette Smith published in the Nonprofit Quarterly in 2023. Paving a Better Way: What’s Driving Progressive Organizations Apart and How to Win by Coming Together. The conversation between Rebecca and Carol covers the intricacies and challenges of leadership and organizational dynamics within the nonprofit sector, particularly in the context of social justice work. Their discussion touches upon generational conflicts, power dynamics, organizational clarity, and strategies for effective leadership, especially in the recent crises we have all experienced over the past several years. Episode highlights: Generational and Cultural Dynamics in Nonprofits [00:08:30] The recent increased conflict within organizations between leaders and staff, often on generational and racial lines. How these conflicts are similar and different to those of the past. Addressing Internal Conflicts and Building Resilience [00:15:30] Conflicts within organizations, such as public call outs and accusations of racism as well as the push for structural changes. Organizational Clarity and Strategy - [00:20:30] The importance of organizational clarity regarding power and decision-making, and how it should reflect an organization's values and strategies. The Challenge of Aligning Strategy and Leadership - [00:25:30] The challenges organizations face in aligning their leadership style with their identity and mission as well as aligning expectations across segments of staff. Addressing Trauma in Nonprofits - [00:35:30] Understanding and addressing trauma embedded in social justice work – the trauma that stems from the issue the organization is addressing, intergenerational trauma, personal and interpersonal trauma. How might trauma at all these levels be addressed responsibly? Current Trends and Challenges The dialogue offers nonprofit leaders a range of insights and considerations for fostering healthy, effective, and resilient organizations that can navigate the complexities of social change work. Guest Bio:
Becca Epstein is a coach and consultant to social justice organizations and their leaders with over 20 years of experience in community organizing, organizational development, and nonprofit leadership. Becca is a co-founder of The Management Center, a former Vice President at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and a convener of the “Paving a Better Way” working group. Her practice focuses on leaders, organizations, and movements confronting strategic challenges, seeking transformation, and advancing equity and justice. Becca holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management and Public Policy from NYU, a BA in Anthropology from Amherst College, and is a Certified Professional Coach. Important Links and Resources: Paving a Better Way: What’s Driving Progressive Organizations Apart and How to Win by Coming Together by Rebecca Epstein and Mistinguette Smith Building Resilient Organizations: Toward Joy and Durable Power in a Time of Crisis by Maurice Mitchell Learning From an Intergenerational Blowup Over Social Justice by Steve Kaagan & John Hagan Rebecca Epstein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-epstein-797aa75/ https://www.beccaepsteincoaching.com/ Internal Family Systems - No Bad Parts: https://bookshop.org/p/books/no-bad-parts-healing-trauma-and-restoring-wholeness-with-the-internal-family-systems-model-richard-schwartz/16396062?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q7ZNqD5nvZg5Rc0AW1G0doLAO72cWnAFeCHvmKdI5QkEjpu1QDdtWIaAtc-EALw_wcB Polarities - Polarity Partnerships: https://www.polaritypartnerships.com/ Related Episodes: These articles were also discussed on: Episode 75: Co-creation with Carol Hamilton and Danielle Marshall Nature of the employee-employer relationship/what is work: Episode 78: Renegotiating our relationship with work with Carol Hamilton Episode 85: Building equitable compensation frameworks with Mala Nagarajan "Click "Read More" for a transcript of the interview. What is nonprofit strategic planning? Nonprofit strategic planning is a step-by-step process that helps you set priorities for your organization for the medium term – generally 3-5 years. You gather insight from your stakeholders, identify the common themes, explore possible futures and make decisions about where you want to focus your organization’s future in service of your mission. As part of the process you will clarify your why, what and how. What your nonprofit can expect from strategic planningStrategic planning is not about predicting or controlling the future. It is about creating greater alignment across your team, board, volunteers and all those who support the mission of your organization – creating a shared understanding and agreement about where you are headed. And at each stage, consider how equity factors into who you are including, whose voices are being heard and how decisions are being made. With this shared agreement on direction, you will be better prepared to make informed decisions about where to focus your energy and what your priorities are. A strategic plan is a process, not just a documentIt is also not just about the document – the strategic plan itself. That is a product of the process certainly. Yet it is really about the conversations that stakeholders have over the course of the process. Those conversations are what build the alignment and that shared understanding and ultimately the buy in that can be so elusive. It would be much easier and faster to decide one afternoon to “write” your organization’s strategic plan. Efficient for sure. Perhaps even satisfying for you as you are writing it. But ultimately that plan will fall short because it only represents your vision for the nonprofit organization. Nonprofit organizations are a collective effort. Typically tackling some of society’s biggest challenges. Getting closer to your organization’s mission effectively takes everyone pulling in the same direction and not working at cross purposes. Does my organization need a strategic planning retreat?It is also not just a retreat. Oftentimes, people will reach out and ask whether I can come facilitate their strategic planning retreat. But without the preliminary and fundamental step of discovery – or the listening tour – you do not have the grounding you need for a truly comprehensive and deep strategic planning process. Our 5-Step Nonprofit Strategic Planning Process for intentional, insightful, inclusive goal setting1. Your Strategic Plan kick-off onboardingHow you start the strategic planning project really makes all the difference. Getting clear about your goals for the project itself, who needs to be involved, the time frame you are planning for, as well as the strategic questions you are grappling with as an organization will set you up for success. Orienting the system to the processConsider holding a few kickoff events with your stakeholders to ensure that everyone is clear about how you are approaching the strategic planning process. Often this include sessions for staff, board, and other volunteers. These events typically include an overview of the project and process, who will be involved including any consultants you have hired to support and guide the process, as well as a conversation about what people are hoping for in the process and what their concerns are. After the event, it is very helpful to send a written document to everyone that reiterates the same information so that everyone has something to refer back to as the project progresses. Assembling your teamOne of the first tasks is to pull together a group of staff and board that will form your strategic planning committee or task force. The job of this group is to steward the process and advise on key decision points along the way. It is NOT their job to make all the decisions about the final three-five goals that will make up the main elements of your actual strategic plan. Who should be on the strategic planning task force? Board, leadership, staff?The task force should include people empowered with the organization to make decisions. This typically means the executive director, the board chair and ideally the incoming board chair as well as staff and other volunteers who will be influential about your organization’s future. A smaller group will find it easier to make decisions (up to five people). With a larger group (up to nine people) you will be able to better represent different elements of the organization and your stakeholders, yet you may need to have a smaller group designated to have the final say on decisions. What is the role of the strategic planning task force?Some of the task force’s tasks at the beginning of the process include identifying the stakeholders who are vital to your organization's future, how input from them will be gathered and what questions you will be asking them. Who is important to shaping your organization’s future? Often stakeholders include staff, board, volunteers, community partners and allied organizations, as well as those your organization serves and funders. Have you fully considered power dynamics as you prioritize stakeholders? How do you plan to gather input from those stakeholders who are part of historically marginalized communities? What supports may they need to fully participate in the process How a nonprofit strategic planning consultant can helpWhen you are working with a consultant, they will help you sketch this out as well as support you in making decisions about how the information will be gathered. You will need to decide whether it is with one-on-one interviews, focus groups and/or surveys. Deciding what mix of approaches makes sense in your organization’s situation is one of the key tasks for the group during the kickoff phase. Once those decisions have been made, the discovery phase or listening tour can start. 2. Discover: Listen to your key stakeholders before you start making decisions!This step in the process you are going on a listening tour to discover what is the organization’s current state, what are its strengths, challenges, what is its history and what are the collective hopes and aspirations for the organization’s future. One of the benefits of working with a consultant is that they can take on the time-intensive work of talking one-on-one with people, facilitating focus groups and developing, launching and analyzing surveys. In addition, consultants will often have a bank of questions that they will use as a spring board to customize for your situation. If you choose to conduct the input process yourself, be sure to orient your volunteers to how to conduct interviews and be clear about the process for capturing notes so that the results can be analyzed into themes. How are you making participation in your accessible for community members?Another consideration when you are conducting your listening tour is to think through the systemic barriers that may prevent those you serve and support from participating in your listening opportunities. How will you make it possible and accessible for people you serve to participate? Will you offer stipends, feed people, provide or reimburse transportation and child care? If your input sessions are being held virtually, do people have the digital access needed to participate? 3. Explore your stakeholder insights, wider trends and your potential futuresOnce you have a solid picture of where you are as an organization, your strengths and challenges, what some of the aspirations are that people have for the organization, you will need to share these findings with your planning group so that they can make meaning of them. The planning group should include your board and staff. This is the group that you will gather at a strategic planning retreat or over a series of strategic planning sessions. What can you expect during a strategic planning retreat or strategy planning sessions?A strategic planning retreat will typically start with an overview of the findings from the listening tour and then time for small group and large group discussion of what meaning the group makes of the findings. Other agenda items will likely be an exploration of wider trends, envisioning the organization's future, identifying major goals, action steps and success indicators, identifying key criteria for future decision making as well as a review of your organization's mission, vision, values to update them as necessary. The retreat itself will be a mixture of small and large group conversations and activities. Multiple ways of knowing and communicating should be included, such as drawing, skits and other ways to tap into everyone's imagination. There should also be time for individual reflection and group dialogue to be inclusive of varying thinking and communicating styles. A series of online strategy sessions will typically range from 90 minutes to three hours at a time and use a combination of a video conference platform such as Zoom with work being done digitally through a google doc or Mural board or other online white board tool. Why its important to explore the wider environment and trendsWith the foundation of what the current state of the organization is, the group should also look wider and identify the wider trends impacting your organization. Your organization does not exist in a vacuum. It exists in a wider ecosystem of the community you are in, the field you are in, as well as the wider society and world. What trends does the group see politically, economically, socially, environmentally, and technologically? Of those trends, which ones will most likely have an impact on your organization furthering its mission. Imaging the future of your nonprofit organization With this wider perspective in mind, lead the group in a variety of exercises to help them imagine a new future for the organization. Think about how you can integrate different ways of knowing into your exploration process. Get beyond just words and integrate opportunities to bring in different senses and modalities such as drawing, skits, and songs. This is the part of the exploration process when you can let the imagination fly freeing and think audaciously. All these possibly wild ideas and aspirations will likely not make it into the final plan yet they help uncover new options that the group might not otherwise consider. 4. Decide your nonprofit priorities, based on mission, vision & valuesYou now have fun and inspiring pictures of potential futures for the organization. Unfortunately too often this is where people often stop. And then they wonder why they feel overwhelmed by a ‘plan’ that looks more like a wish list. Setting priorities for your nonprofit organizationYou then need to lead the group through a series of exercises to set priorities and make decisions about which of these options you will put your energy behind. You cannot do everything. This is another element of the process that is especially helpful to have the support of strategic planning consultants. They have no agenda about what ultimately gets decided and prioritized – instead they have expertise in helping groups have effective conversations about options and actually make decisions. As you are making those decisions, consider whose voice is being prioritized and how each decision might impact different groups you serve. Update your mission and visionYou may have noticed that I did not start the process with a mission and vision exercise. This is where many other strategic planning consultants start. I recommend instead that groups refine their mission and vision statements at the end of the process. You then benefit from all the conversations that the group has had over the course of the process, and it is more a matter of confirmation. Does your current mission statement accurately reflect where the organization is going? Does your vision statement accurately describe the change you are trying to make in the world? What needs to be updated or refined? 5. Plan & Act: Turn your strategies into action steps not a wishlistSuccess indicatorsOnce you have decided on three and up to no more than five big goals, lead the group through conversations to identify what action steps will move those goals forward. Provide ways for feedback to be gathered. You may need to go through several iterations. For each action step, also define what success will look like. How will you know you have made progress? The strategic planning task force will take the rough draft created by the larger planning group, clean up the language and do the final refinement so that it is clear. Check one last time for shared agreement with the larger group. Operationalizing your nonprofit strategic planUsually your board will vote on the final version of the plan and approve it. Having been closely involved in each step of the process, and provided multiple opportunities for input and feedback, this approval ideally is a straightforward process. Staff then need to operationalize the plan and decide who is going to do what, by when, in Year one. The process of creating an annual implementation plan will include what are you focusing on in year one – what needs to happen first? And what are more specific tasks that need to happen to move your action steps forward? Keeping the plan freshYou now have a strategic plan and a year one implementation plan that captures the shared agreement among your stakeholders about where you are going to put your energy to move your mission forward more effectively. Yet the world does not stand still – new opportunities and challenges will emerge. Before you are finished with your process, work with your strategic planning task force to agree on how you keep track of the plan. How will you integrate it into regular planning practices? Board meetings, staff meetings? Keep track of progress? Evaluate when you need to make adjustments and updates? Get clear and come to agreement about what your practice is for keeping the plan relevant and front of mind. You will be continuously learning and adapting. Goals that truly help an organization forward are dynamic and require ongoing effort, reflection, and adaptation to changing circumstances and new understandings. Reconnecting with your external stakeholder groups You also need to think about how you will share the summary of the input gathered to your wider stakeholders who may not be part of the planning sessions themselves. You asked for their input – help them understand how you are going to use their information. Your goal in gathering input from them is not only to gain their perspective but also to engage them in the future of your organization. Do not undermine the trust you have built by asking them for input and then not closing the loop and sharing some version of the findings summary. Building buy in through engagementStrategic planning is an opportunity to do a deep engagement with your stakeholders to get them excited about and shape the future of your organization. Using the five-step process – kick off, discover, explore, plan and act, plus deciding on a process for keeping the plan fresh will create the level of buy in you need to have your plan be relevant and usable for guiding your organization’s future.
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Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLC, owns the copyright in and to all content in, including transcripts and audio of the Mission: Impact podcast and all content on this website, with all rights reserved, including right of publicity.
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